On a tragic Monday, the first day of the Fall 2000 semester at the University of Arkansas, the life of Professor John R. Locke was cut short in a shocking act of violence. The 67-year-old male, who served as the director of the Comparative Literature program, was in his office in Kimpel Hall on August 28, 2000, when a disgruntled graduate student entered and forever altered the campus's sense of security.
The perpetrator was identified as James Easton Kelly, 37, a PhD candidate who had recently been dismissed from the university's Comparative Literature program. Kelly, who was under the academic advisement of Dr. Locke, entered his former professor's office shortly after noon. A graduate student in a nearby office reported hearing a gunshot followed by someone exclaiming, 'I didn't do anything.' This was followed by more gunshots. A 911 call was made at approximately 12:14 pm, alerting the Fayetteville Police Department to the unfolding tragedy.
Police and a SWAT team responded to the scene. After about an hour, they made entry into Professor Locke's office and discovered the bodies of both Locke and Kelly. The investigation later revealed that Kelly had shot Dr. Locke three times with a. 38 caliber handgun. A crime lab report would later indicate that Locke had a defensive wound on his hand, suggesting he had raised his arm in a futile attempt to protect himself. There may have been a struggle between the two men before the fatal shots were fired.
After killing his former advisor, James Easton Kelly then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide. A handgun was found on the floor between the two men. The motive for this tragic murder-suicide was determined to be a personal vendetta stemming from Kelly's dismissal from the doctoral program. The incident was the first of its kind in the history of the University of Arkansas, leaving the campus community in a state of shock and mourning for the loss of a long-serving and respected professor.
